Alaia Skyhawk: This is something new I added to my original time-line for the fic, so it's now going to be 90 chapters long instead of 87... Somehow I don't think anyone will be complaining XD
Disclaimer: I don't own the Merlin TV series etc, but I do own the star of this fic... LIAM!
Music: The Farthest Land [Reprise] (Shadow of the Colossus OST)
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Chapter 37: Led by a Child ~Part 1~
The written statement was short and to the point, citing simply that the writer, while he had been honoured to work in Ulwin, wished to return to Camelot and thus asked for transfer. The one to whom the letter had been handed was happy to do so, expressing regrets that the writer did not wish to remain, and that he hoped he would do well. However, far from regretting the man's departure, the lord who now set the letter aside had a smile on his face.
Not surprising really... Bern had only lasted two weeks while being overshadowed by the earnest efforts of Hargren's new apprentice assistant.
Hargren chuckled to himself, knowing that Bern would be on his way into town with his bags, to hire passage with any merchant who was heading off to Camelot today. He hadn't presumed to ask for an escort, servants who quit on their own were usually expected to make their own way to their next job. Only if they were being sent specifically could a high-ranking servant expect to be accompanied by a guard, and even then only if the noble sending them wished to make an impression of importance for the noble who would be receiving them.
Bern had arrived in Ulwin with an escort of two experienced guardsmen from Camelot, a gesture of Uther's regard for Hargren, but he would be returning to Camelot in the back of a merchant's wagon...
Hargren sat down at his desk, resuming flipping through the morning's reports. Liam was tidying the lord's chambers right now, seeing as Bern was no longer around to do them, but he would only be doing them alone this once. Hargren had sent a guard to retrieve a certain member of the castle staff, the moment his former manservant had gained a suitable distance from the study. A firm yet soft knock on the door heralded that staff member's arrival, Hargren's voice holding a hint of his pleased frame of mine when he called out.
"Enter."
The young man who came in was dressed in the same bland clothing as the rest of the servants, but he carried himself with a distinctly jaunty air. His hands were thrust into the pockets of his jacket, his smile being enough of a smirk that if he'd directed it at any of the nobles who guested at the manor, he'd have gotten a thorough flogging for his impertinence.
The red-head's smile widened even further, his grey eyes dancing with amusement.
"I take it this means I'm your manservant now?"
Hargren regarded him with mild disapproval.
"Mind your tongue, Fyren. You may be this blunt with me in private, but if you spoke that way in front of anyone not part of my trusted circle, it would raise unwanted questions. It is better you address me as is proper, and not get into bad habits."
The young man, Fyren, bowed respectfully, his outright grin softening to a more acceptable polite smile.
"Yes, My Lord. I would assume that you summoning me, means that Bern has resigned and is as we speak starting on his way back to Camelot. Did you give him a letter of recommendation?"
The lord sat at the desk nodded.
"I did, stating that his work was exceptional, but that both he and I had realised that he wasn't quite suited to my needs. I return him to Camelot with good favour... If Uther is in a good mood, it's fairly likely that Bern will get his old job back."
Russet eyebrows were raised.
"And that would be?"
"He was Prince Arthur's manservant."
Fyren let out a snort, choking back a laugh.
"I wish him well, then... Anyone who knows how to get the information, among the staff of both castles, knows that Arthur is somewhat big for his boots. Not that anyone blames him, he's a prince and damned good with a sword for his age, but he really should learn some humility."
Hargren smiled wryly.
"And were you any better at that age? He's fourteen, nearly fifteen, and while commoners may consider that to be nearing adulthood, among nobles he's still just a stripling. He won't be expected to start doing anything serious with his time, apart from lessons, until he's eighteen and has his knighthood... Although given that Sir Leon was admitted to the Knights of Camelot when he was seventeen, I can foresee Prince Arthur wanting to better that. He has the skill for it, so unless his father decides to object I expect he'll ask to be tested for the Knights when he's sixteen."
The servant's expression became bland.
"And then he'll have an even bigger ego than he already has..."
"Fyren..." The servant had the grace to wince in acceptance of the reprimand, Hargren leaning back in his chair to stare at him. "Well, regardless of what Bern ends up doing, it's no longer my concern. My only thought is that, now that he is gone, the only servants within the manor who originate from the castle in Camelot are all involved in tending to the nobles who I permit to have residence here. They are all too tied up in impressing their masters, to be concerned about what I am doing, and that is how I both want and need it to be."
Fyren raised his eyebrows again.
"What are you up to, My Lord?"
"Go bring Forwin to see me, and you'll find out..."
The servant hurried from the study without a word, closing the door quietly behind him. Fyren had never been a man to mince words. If he said anything, he preferred to say things straight. Beating around bush wasn't his style, which meant he would, in general, either speak or not speak at all. Considering that most of the people in the manor, he couldn't speak his mind to without risking his lord's secrets, he tended just to mumble when in public. The result meant most believed him to be somewhat stupid, and that suited him and Hargren perfectly.
People tend to say things in front of those they think are stupid, that otherwise they would never say. It made Fyren the perfect man to keep tabs on the nobles and staff within the manor. It also helped that no one recognised him, but then who would believe that a young man of noble blood would work as a servant?
It was about fifteen minutes after he left that Fyren returned with the physician in tow, Forwin looking suitably irritated. The greying man's gruff expression didn't fade once the door closed, but then no one who knew him well expected it to. Anyone this close to Hargren and his secrets, had secrets and pasts of their own, and only the lord himself knew each and every one of them.
Forwin crossed his arms over his chest, frowning a little as he directed a fleeting glance at Fyren.
"I see you wasted no time in replacing Bern... I take it you wanted to ask me something, now that that toady of Uther's is gone."
Hargren nodded, indicating both men get a chair from the side of the room and seat themselves in front of his desk.
"Yes, and I've waited far longer than I'd hoped. Getting rid of Bern's predecessor, without drawing suspicion, was difficult, and then Uther sent him before I'd even the chance to create an excuse to appoint Fyren into the position. Now that I have Liam, and am training him to be my assistant, I 'do not wish to take on a servant in the role, who may well find offence in being overshadowed by a twelve-year-old'. Or so that is what I will tell the king, should he ask if I want him to send someone else."
Forwin snorted, looking amused as he glanced sidelong at the red-head sat beside him.
"So basically you'll tell him that you've taken Liam on for the political work due to his intelligence, and that you've taken Fyren on for the menial work due to his lack of intelligence. People who are 'as dense as a rock' don't tend to be offended when someone younger gets better jobs than them."
"Hey!"
When the servant turned to glare at the physician, Hargren raised a hand to stop it turning into an argument.
"That's enough, Fyren. As tactless as he phrased it, that is exactly how I want Uther and all others to view it. The less they know about you, the less they'll notice you. It would raise a scandal if your real identity came out into the open."
Forwin raised an eyebrow, his expression speculative.
"And what identity would that be, I wonder."
Fyren smirked at him.
"Hang around long enough and maybe I'll tell you... Sometime around the next blue moon."
Hargren's voice cut both of them off, he was starting to sound a bit exasperated.
"Gentlemen, please, let us attend to the reason I asked for you to be here." Both of them focused their attention on him, and taking that as the cue they were now paying attention, Hargren turned to Forwin. "I will put this bluntly... Now that it is safe to pursue this, I want to ask you. Normal medicines cannot cure my wife's condition, but could magic do it?"
Both men sat opposite him stared, Fyren being the first to murmur in reaction.
"That was blunt. You're not wasting any time, are you?"
Hargren frowned a little.
"While Lady Jancine's illness is not life threatening, I will not stand by and watch her continue to suffer when there is no need for it. She is just as important to my position here as the rest of you are, and not only that she is my wife. I have had enough of sitting idly by, and if it is possible I want to see her being treated with a cure before winter sets in. Now, Forwin, please tell me, could magic cure her?"
The physician sighed.
"To 'put it bluntly'... Yes, it could. Her illness is not serious, merely debilitating, and most of the Druid Clans have at least one healer with the skills to cure it. The problem will be finding any of them. With Camelot's stance against magic, most are buried so deep in hiding that locating them will be near impossible even if any of them live within a reasonable distance."
"Ask Liam to help." Both Forwin and Hargren stared at Fyren, who just shrugged and continued. "The kid's friend was a sorcerer who was trained by a druid, and that means the gang they were in was friends with a druid clan. That kind of friendship doesn't vanish overnight. If Liam shows you where the gang used to go to get in touch with them, you have a good chance of finding them. And if he's with you, they'll be more inclined to listen than to just walk away."
Forwin, somewhat bemused, looked at Hargren.
"He's right. The Druids hold to friendships and loyalties for years, even when there is little or no contact. It's only been a few months, and with winter soon to set in, the clan that know him will be at their wintering grounds. There's a good chance Liam knows where their grounds are."
Hargren smiled.
"And being versed the ways of the Druids as much as you are, you would know. Very well, Fyren, go fetch Liam please. He should still be in my chambers."
Fyren got up without a word and walked out, striding down the hallway outside and plastering a semi-blank expression on his face. No one even gave him a second glance, and that was the way he liked it.
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Arms that were a bit too short for the task, struggled to straighten and flatten the covers, their owner resorting to tugging on one side and then the other, circling back and forth around the bed.
Liam stepped back once the job was done, a little bit winded from his efforts. Why had Bern just up and quit this morning? He could have at least given a bit more warning instead of dumping all his chores on him. The boy sighed, shaking his head. He honestly didn't care why Bern had left, since it was clearly on impulse and probably for a stupid and selfish reason. Let the stuck-up idiot crawl back to Camelot if he wanted to, it was no skin of his nose.
Liam went and got the broom from where he'd left it by the door, starting to sweep the chamber. At least Lord Hargren didn't expect him to be able to do everything that Bern had been doing, not like most nobles would have. He'd promised that he'd have a new servant soon, but one thing Liam hadn't realised was how soon that would be.
The door of the chambers opened, a head of scruffy red hair poking round it. Liam recognised Fyren immediately, but never expected that the man, who was well known for being quiet and a 'bit dumb', to grin at him cheerfully and declare brightly.
"Hey there, Liam, I'm Bern's replacement. Lord Hargren asked me to come get you, since he needs to ask you about something. Just put that broom down and come with me. The sweeping can wait."
Liam did as he was told, hesitantly going to the door only to be taken firmly by the shoulder and led away down the hall outside. Was this really the same Fyren he'd seen lugging crates around early this morning, with a blank look on his face? When the blank look appeared the moment any of the other staff came into view, he knew that it was... and with dawning realisation now knew the man wanted people to think he was a half-wit.
They arrived at Hargren's study without incident, Fyren sending Liam in ahead of him before closing the door behind them. Inside the study sat the Lord of Ulwin and Ulwin's physician, both men regarding the boy expectantly. The conversation that followed proved to be a great surprise to Liam, but as soon as he was told who it was who would be helped if he cooperated, he agreed without hesitation.
For Lady Jancine he would do anything they could ask him, it was the least he could do to repay her kindness.
It was thus, barely an hour later, that Hargren, Liam, and four soldiers rode out of Ulwin, heading off to 'inspect' the Ascetir Fortress, and if they happened to make a small detour before arriving there, well... that would just be coincidence.
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Alaia Skyhawk: Hmm, how to describe Fyren... He's friendly, cheerful, intensely loyal to Hargren, and good at keeping secrets. But when he's in the kind of company that won't overly object to it, he's incredibly blunt with his words, never hesitating to say things straight and to the point. He's going to be a great contrast to our now established quiet and timid Liam, lol :D